READING COMPREHENSION

__t h e r e a d in g c o m p r e h e n s io n q u e s t io n s —

T h e R e a d in g C o m p r e h e n sio n se c tio n o f th e T O E FL test c o n sists o f five r ea d in g passages,

c a c h fo llo w e d by a n u m b e r o f r ea d in g c o m p r e h e n sio n a n d v o ca b u la ry q u estio n s. T o p ics
o f th e r ea d in g p a ssa g e are varied, b u t they are o fte n in fo r m a tio n a l su b jects that m ig h t be
stu d ied in an A m erica n university: A m erica n history, litera tu re, art, a rch ite ctu re , g eo lo g y ,
g e o g ra p h y , a n d astronom y, for ex a m p le.
" T im e is d e fin ite ly a factor in th e R ea d in g C o m p r e h e n s io n se c tio n . M any stu d en ts
w h o take th e T O E F L test n o te that they are u n a b le to fin ish all th e q u e stio n s in this sec­
tio n . T h e r e fo r e , y o u n e e d to m ak e th e m o st e ffic ie n t u se o f y o u r tim e in this se c tio n to
g e t th e h ig h e st sc o r e. T h e fo llo w in g m e th o d is th e b e st way o f a tta ck in g a r ea d in g p assage
to g et th e m o st q u e stio n s co rr ec t in a lim ited a m o u n t o f lim e .

STRATEGIES FO RT H E READING C O M PREH EN SIO N Q UESTIO N S

I. Skim th e reading passage to d e te rm in e th e m ain idea and th e overall

o rgan ization o f ideas in th e passage. You do not need to understand every detail ,n each
passage to answer the questions correctly. It is therefore a waste of time to read the passage
with the intent of understanding every single detail before you try to answer the questions.

1. Look ahead a t th e qu estion s to d e te rm in e w h a t ty p es o f q u estio n s you m ust

answer. Each type of question is answered in a different way.
3. Find th e se c tio n o f th e passage th a t deals w ith each qu estio n .T h e question-type
tells you exactly where to look in the passage to find correct answers.

• For m ain idea questions, look at the first line of each paragraph.
• For directly and indirectly answered d eta il questions, choose a key word in the question,
and skim for that key word (or a related idea) in order in the passage.

• For vocabulary questions, the question will tell you where the word is located in the
passage.
• For overall review questions, the answers are found anywhere in the passage.

4. Read th e p art o f th e passage th a t contains th e answ er carefully. The answer will

probably be in the same sentence (or one sentence before or after) the key word or idea.

5. C h o o se th e b est answ er to each qu estion from th e four answ er ch o ices listed in

you r t e s t b ook . You can choose the best answer according to what is given in the
appropriate section of the passage, eliminate definitely wrong answers, and mark your best
guess on the answer sheet.

T h e fo llo w in g sk ills will h e lp you to im p le m e n t th e se stra teg ies in th e R ea d in g C o m p re­

h e n s io n se c tio n o f th e T O E FL test.
 READING COMPREHENSION

Q U E S T IO N S A B O U T T H E IDEAS O F T H E PASSAGE__________

It is very c o m m o n for r e a d in g p a ssa g es in th e R e a d in g C o m p r e h e n s io n s e c tio n o f th e

T O E F L test to have q u e s tio n s a b o u t th e overall id ea s in th e p a ssa g e. T h e m o st c o m m o n
type o f q u e s tio n asks a b o u t th e m ain id e a , to p ic , title, o r su b ject. O cc a sio n a lly , th e r e w ill
also b e a q u e s tio n a b o u t h ow th e in fo r m a tio n in the p a ssa g e is o r g a n iz e d .

S k il l I: A N S W E R M A IN ID EA Q U E S T IO N S CORRECTLY

A lm o st every r e a d in g p a ssa g e o n th e T O E F L test w ill h ave a q u e s tio n a b o u t th e m a in id e a

o f a passage. S u ch a q u e s tio n m ay be w o r d e d in a variety o f ways; you m ay, for e x a m p le , b e
ask ed to id e n tify th e topic, subject, title, prim ary idea, o r m ain idea. T h e s e q u e s tio n s are all
really ask in g w h at p rim ary p o in t th e a u th o r is tryin g to g e t across in th e p a ssa g e. S in c e
T O E F L p assages are g e n e r a lly w ritten in a tr ad ition ally o r g a n iz e d m a n n e r , it is n o t d iffi­
c u lt to fin d th e m ain id e a by stu d y in g th e to p ic s e n te n c e , w h ich is m o st p r o b a b ly fo u n d at
th e b e g in n in g o f a p aragrap h .
If a p assage c o n sists o f o n ly o n e p a ra g ra p h , you s h o u ld stu d y th e b e g in n in g o f th a t
paragrap h to d e te r m in e th e m a in id ea.

Exam ple I

The passage:

In the philosophy o f John Dewey, a sharp distinction is m ade

betw een “intelligence" and "reasoning.” According to Dewey,
intelligence is the only absolute way to achieve a balance betw een
Line realism and idealism , betw een practicality a n d w isdom of life.
(5) Intelligence involves "interacting with o th er things a n d know ing
them ," while reasoning is merely the act o f an observer, " . . . a m ind
that beholds o r grasps objects outside the world of things. . . ."
With reasoning, a level of m ental certainty can be achieved, but it
is through intelligence th at control is taken of events that shape
(10) one's life.
The question:
W hat is the topic of this passage?
(A) The intelligence of John Dewey
(B) D istinctions m ade by John Dewey
(C) Deweys ideas on the ability to reason
(D) How intelligence differs from reasoning in Dewey's works

T h e first s e n te n c e o f th is p a ssa g e d iscu sses a d istin c tio n b e tw e en th e id e a s o f “in t e llig e n c e ”

an d “r e a s o n in g ” in th e p h ilo s o p h y o f J o h n Dewey, so th is is p rob ab ly th e to p ic . A q u ick
c h e c k o f th e rest o f th e s e n te n c e s in th e p assage c o n fir m s that th e to p ic is in fa c t th e d if­
fe r e n c e b e tw e en “in t e llig e n c e ” a n d “r e a s o n in g .” N o w you sh o u ld c h e c k e a c h o f th e a n ­
swers to d e te r m in e w h ic h o n e c o m e s c lo sest to th e to p ic th a t y o u h ave d e te r m in e d .
A n sw er (A) m e n tio n s o n ly in te llig e n c e , so it is n o t th e top ic. A n sw er (B ) m e n tio n s d istin c ­
tion s th a t J o h n D ew ey m akes, b u t it d o e s n o t say sp ecifica lly w h at type o f d istin c tio n s. A n ­
sw er (C ) m e n tio n s o n ly r e a s o n in g , so answ er (C ) is in c o m p le te . T h e b e st an sw er is
th e r e fo r e ( D ) ; th e id e a o f how intelligence differs fro m reasoning c o m e s fr o m th e first s e n te n c e
o f th e p assage, w h ich m e n tio n s a sharp distinction . . . between “intelligence” a n d "reasoning. ”
284 READING COMPREHENSION

I f a p assage c o n sists o f m o r e th an o n e p aragrap h , you sh o u ld stu d y th e b e g in n in g o f

e a c h paragrap h to d e te r m in e th e m ain idea.

E x am p le II

T h e p assag e:
Nitrogen fixation is a process by w hich nitrogen is
continuously fed into biological circulation. In this process, certain
algae and bacteria convert nitrogen into am m onia (NH,). This
Line newly created am m onia is then for the m ost p art absorbed by
(5) plants.
The opposite process of denitrification re tu rn s n itrogen to
the air. During the process of denitrification, bacteria cause some
o f the nitrates from the soil to convert into gaseous nitrogen or
nitrous oxide (N20). In this gaseous form the nitrogen re tu rn s to the
( 10) atm osphere.

T h e q u e stio n :
W hich of the following would be the best title for this passage?
(A) The Process of Nitrogen Fixation
(B) Two Nitrogen Processes
(C) The Return of Nitrogen to the Air
(D) The Effect of Nitrogen on Plant Life

In a p a ssa g e w ith m o r e th a n o n e p aragrap h , you s h o u ld b e su re to read th e first s e n te n c e

o f e a c h p a ra g ra p h to d e te r m in e th e su bject, title, o r m a in id ea . In E x a m p le II, th e first
s e n te n c e o f th e first paragraph in d ic a tes th at th e first paragrap h is a b o u t th e p r o c ess o f
n itr o g e n fix a tio n . I f you lo o k o n ly at th e first p aragrap h , you m ig h t c h o o s e th e in c o r r e c t
an sw er (A ), w h ic h w o u ld b e a g o o d title fo r th e first paragrap h only. T h e first s e n te n c e o f
th e s e c o n d paragrap h in d ic a tes th a t th e p ro cess o f d e n itr ific a tio n is d isc u sse d in th e se c ­
o n d p aragrap h . A n sw er (C ) is in c o r r e c t b e c a u se the return o f nitrogen to the air is th e
p r o c ess o f d e n itr ific a tio n , a n d this is d isc u sse d in th e s e c o n d p aragrap h only. A n sw er (D )
is in c o r r e c t b e c a u s e the effect o f nitrogen on p la n t life is n o t d isc u sse d in th is passage. T h e
b e st a n sw er to th is q u e s tio n is answ er (B ); th e two n itr o g e n p r o c e sse s are n itr o g e n fixa­
tio n , w h ich is d isc u sse d in th e first p aragraph, a n d d e n itr ific a tio n , w h ic h is d isc u sse d in
th e s e c o n d p aragrap h .

T h e fo llo w in g c h a r t o u tlin e s th e key in fo r m a tio n th a t y o u sh o u ld r e m e m b e r a b o u t

m a in id e a q u estio n s:

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

HOW TO IDENTIFY W h a t is the t o p ic o f th e passage?

THE QUESTION W h a t is the s u b je c t o f th e passage?
W h a t is the m a in id e a o f the passage?
W h a t is the a u th o r’s m a in p o i n t in the passage?
W ith w ha t is the a u th o r p r im a r i ly c o n c e r n e d ?
W h ich o f th e follow ing w ould be th e best t it le ?

WHERETO FIND The answer to this type of question can generally be

THE ANSWER determined by looking at the first sentence of each paragraph.
 READING COMPREHENSION 285

HOW TO ANSWER Read the first line of each paragraph.

THE QUESTION
Look for a common theme or idea in the first lines.
Pass your eyes quickly over the rest of the passage to
check that you really have found the topic sentence(s).
Eliminate any definitely wrong answers and choose the
best answer from the remaining choices.

T O E F L E X E R C ISE 1: S tu d y e a c h o f th e p assages a n d c h o o s e th e b e s t a n sw e rs to th e
q u e stio n s that follow . In this e x e r c ise , e a c h p assage is fo llo w e d by se v e ra l m a in id e a , to p ic ,
or title q u e s tio n s so th a t th e stu d e n ts can p r a c tic e th is type o f q u e s tio n . O n th e T O E F L
test, o n e p assage w o u ld p r o b a b ly n o t h a v e two su ch q u e s tio n s b e c a u se th e y a re so sim ilar.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)

Fort Knox, Kentucky, is the site of a U.S. arm y post, but it is even m ore renow ned for the F o rt
Knox Bullion Depository, the m assive vault that contains the bulk of the U.S. governm ent's gold
deposits. Com pleted in 1936, the vault is housed in a two-story building co n stru cted of granite, steel,
Line and concrete; the vault itself is m ade of steel and concrete and has a d oor th at w eighs m ore th an
(5) twenty tons. Naturally, the m ost up-to-date security devices available are in place a t Fort K nox, and
the arm y post nearby provides fu rth er protection.

1. W hich of the following best describes the 2. W hich of the following w ould be the best
topic of the passage? title for this passage? t
(A) The city o f F ort Knox, Kentucky (A) The Massive C oncrete Vault
(B) The federal gold depository (B) Fort Knox Security
(C) The U.S. arm y post at F ort Knox (C) W here the U.S. Keeps Its Gold
(D) Gold bullion (D) A Visit to Kentucky

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3-4)

One identifying characteristic of m inerals is their relative hardness, w hich can be d eterm ined by
scratching one m ineral w ith another. In this type of test, a h a rd er m ineral can scratch a softer one, b u t
a softer m ineral is unable to scratch the h ard er one. The Molls' hardness scale is used to ra n k m inerals
Line according to hardness. Ten m inerals are listed in this scale, ranging from talc w ith a hardness of 1 to
(5) diam ond with a hardness of 10. On this scale, quartz (num ber 7) is h arder than feldspar (num ber 6 )
and is therefore able to scratch it; however, feldspar is unable to make a m ark on quartz.

W hich of the following best states the 4. The m ain idea of this passage is th a t
subject of this passage?
(A) the hardness of a m ineral can be
(A) The hardness of diam onds determ ined by its ability to m ake a
(B) Identifying m inerals by m eans of a m ark on o th er m inerals
scratch test (B) diam onds, w ith a hard n ess of 10 on the
(C) Feldspar on the M ohs' scale M ohs’ scale, can scratch all o th er
(D) Recognizing m inerals in th e ir n atural m inerals
state (C) a softer m ineral <an n o t be scratched
by a h a rd er nineral
(D) talc is the firsf m ineral listed on the
M ohs’ sc; ie
286 READING COMPREHENSION

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 5-6)

H urricanes generally occur in the North Atlantic from May through November, with the peak of
the hurricane season in Septem ber; only rarely will they occur from Decem ber through April ini that
part of the ocean. The m ain reason for the occurrence of hurricanes during this period is th a t he
Line tem perature on the .w aters surface
.
is at its w arm est and the hum idity of the air is at its highest.
Of the tropical storm s that occur each i
year •in_ .the
I. _ Atlo n i i^
N orth Atlantic, n n K i a h n n t i i V f * HT1 t n f *
only about five, on the
(5)
average, are powerful enough to be called hurricanes. To be classified as a hurricane, a tro p ic^
m ust have w inds reaching speeds of at least 117 kilom eters per hour, but the w inds are often m uch
stronger than that; the w inds of intense hurricanes can easily surpass 240 kilom eters per hou .

6 . The best title for this passage would be

5. The passage m ainly discusses
(A) how m any hurricanes occur each year (A) The N orth Atlantic Ocean
(B) Storm s of the N orthern Atlantic
(B) the strength of hurricanes
(C) the w eather in the N orth Atlantic (C) H urricanes: The Dam age and
(D) hurricanes in one p art of the world D estruction
(D) W hat H appens from May through
Novem ber
PASSAGE FOUR (Questions 7-9)
H enry W adsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was perhaps the best-know n American poet of the
ninetecnth'century. His clear w riting style and em phasis on the prevalent values of the period made
him popular with the general public if not always with the critics He was particularly recognized o
Line his longer narrative poem s Evangeline, The Song o f Hiawatha, and The Courtship o f Miles Standish, in
(5) w hich he told stories from American history in term s of the values of the tim e.
Evangeline was set during the French and Indian W ar (1754-1763), w hen the British forced
French settlers from Nova Scotia; tw o lovers, Gabriel and Evangeline, w ere separated by the British,
and Evangeline devoted her lifetim e to the search for Gabriel. W ith its em phasis on sentim ental,
undying love, Evangeline was imm ensely popular with the public.
( 10)
In The Song o f Hiawatha, Longfellow depicted the noble life of the Am erican Indian throug e
story of the brave H iaw atha and his beloved wife M inehaha. The tear-inspiring poem follows
H iaw atha through the tragedies and trium phs of life, ending w ith the d eath of M m ehaha an
H iaw atha’s departure into the sunset in his canoe.
The Courtship o f Miles Standish takes place during the early period of the settlem ent of New
(15) E ngland, a period w hich w as viewed as a tim e of honor and rom ance. In this poem centered around a
love trianele, Miles Standish asks his friend John Alden to propose to Priscilla M ullins for him ; John
Alden end's up m arrying Priscilla Mullins himself, and it takes tim e for his friendship with M“ es
Standish to recover. As with Longfellow's o ther narrative poems, the em phasis on high ideals and
rom ance m ade the poem extremely popular.

W hich of the following best describes the
m ain idea of the passage?
(A) Am erican history is often depicted in
poetry.
(B) Longfellow described American history
even though people really did not
enjoy it.
(C) The popularity of Longfellow’s poem s
results from his stress on the values
of the people.
(D) Longfellow w rote long narrative
poem s that were not always
p opular with the critics.
8. The best title of the passage is
(A) Longfellow’s Popular Appeal
(B) H istorical N arrative Poems
(C) The Lyric, D ram atic, and Narrative
Poem s of Longfellow
(D) Longfellow and the Critics
9. The subject of the fourth paragraph is
(A) nobility and honor in the poem s
of Longfellow
(B) the love triangle involving Miles
Standish
(C) the popular appeal of The Courtship o f
Miles Standish
(D) th e period of the early settlem ent of
New E ngland
 READING COMPREHENSION 287

S k i l l 2: R E C O G N IZE T H E O R G A N IZ A T IO N OF IDEAS

In th e R e a d in g C o m p r e h e n s io n s e c tio n o f th e T O E F L test, th e r e w ill s o m e tim e s b e q u e s­

tio n s a b o u t th e o r g a n iz a tio n o f id e a s in a p assage. In this type o f q u e s tio n , y o u w ill be
ask ed to d e te r m in e h o w th e id e a s in o n e paragrap h (o r p a ra g ra p h s) r e la te to th e id e a s in
a n o th e r p aragrap h (o r p a r a g r a p h s).

E xam ple

T he p assa g e:
If asked who invented the game of baseball, m ost A m ericans
would probably reply that it was Abner Doubleday. At the
beginning of this century, there was som e disagreem ent over how
Line the gam e of baseball had actually originated, so sporting-goods
(5) m an u factu rer Spaulding inaugurated a com m ission to research the
question. In 1908 a report was published by the com m ission in
w hich A bner Doubleday, a U.S. Army officer from Cooperstown,
New York, was given credit for the invention of the game. The
N ational Baseball Hall of Fam e was established in C ooperstow n in
(10) h o nor of Doubleday.
Today, m ost sports historians are in agreem ent that
D oubleday really did not have m uch to do with the developm ent of
baseball. Instead, baseball seems to be a close relation to the
English gam e of ro u n d ers and probably has English ra th e r than
(15) Am erican roots.
T h e q u e stio n :

The second paragraph

(A) provides exam ples to support the ideas in the first p a rag ra p h
(B) precedes the ideas in the first paragraph
(C) outlines the effect of the idea in the first paragraph
(D) refutes the idea in the first paragraph

T o answ er this q u e s tio n it is n e c e ssa r y to lo o k at th e m ain id ea s o f e a c h o f th e tw o para­

grap h s. T h e m ain id e a o f th e first paragrap h is fo u n d in th e first s e n t e n c e o f th e first
p aragraph: m o st p e o p le b e lie v e th a t A b n e r D o u b le d a y in v e n te d th e g a m e o f b a seb a ll.
T h e m a in id e a o f th e s e c o n d paragrap h is fo u n d in th e first lin e o f th e s e c o n d p aragraph:
h isto r ia n s g e n e r a lly a g r ee th at D o u b le d a y d id n o t in v e n t b a seb a ll. T h e s e c o n d p aragrap h
th e r e fo r e contradicts o r refutes th e in fo r m a tio n in th e first p aragrap h . T h e b e s t a n sw er to
th is q u e s tio n is an sw er (D ).
288 READING COMPREHENSION

T h e fo llo w in g ch a rt o u tlin e s th e key in fo r m a tio n th a t y o u s h o u ld r em e m b e r a b o u t

q u e s tio n s o n th e o r g a n iz a tio n o f ideas:

O R G A N IZ A T IO N O F IDEAS

HOW TO IDENTIFY H o w is the inform a tio n in the passage o r g a n iz e d ?

THE QUESTION H o w is the inform a tio n in the second p a ra g ra ph r e la t e d to
th e inform a tio n in the firs t paragraph?

WHERETO FIND The answer to this type of question can generally be determined
THE ANSWER by looking at the first sentence of the appropriate paragraphs.

HOW TO ANSWER 1. Read the first line of each paragraph.

THE QUESTION 2. Look for words that show the relationship between the
paragraphs.
3. Choose the answer that best expresses the relationship.

T O E F L E X E R C ISE 2: Stu dy each o f th e passages a n d c h o o s e th e b e st answ ers to th e q u es­

tio n s th a t follow .

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-2)

Conflict w ithin an organization is n ot always viewed as undesirable. In fact, various m anagers
have widely divergent ideas on the value th at conflict can have.
According to the traditional view of conflict, conflict is harm ful to an organization. Managers
Line w ith this traditional view of conflict see it as their role in an organization to rid the organization of
(5) any possible sources of conflict.
The interactionist view of conflict, on the o ther hand, holds th a t conflict can serve an im portant
function in an organization by reducing complacency am ong w orkers and causing positive changes to
occur. M anagers w ho hold an interactionist view of conflict may actually take steps to stim ulate
conflict w ithin the organization.

1. How is the inform ation in the passage 2. W hat type of inform ation is included in the
organized? third paragraph?

(A) The origin of ideas about conflict is (A) A com parison of the interactionist and
presented. traditional views of conflict
(B) C ontrasting views of conflict are (B) A discussion of the w eaknesses of the
presented. interactionist view of conflict
(C) Two theorists discuss the strengths and (C) An outline of the type of m anager who
weaknesses of th eir views on prefers th e interactionist view of
conflict. conflict
(D) Exam ples o f conflict within (D) A description of one of the opposing
organizations are presented. views of conflict
 READING COMPREHENSION 289

PASSAGE TWO (Questions 3 -4 )

IQ, or Intelligence Quotient, is defined as the ratio of a person’s mental age to chronological age,
with the ratio multiplied by 100 to remove the decimal. Chronological age is easily determined;
mental age is generally measured by som e kind of standard test and is not so sim ple to define.
Line In theory, a standardized IQ test is set up to measure an individual's ability to perform
(5) intellectual operations such as reasoning and problem solving. These intellectual operations are
considered to represent intelligence.
In practice, it has been impossible to arrive at consensus as to which types o f intellectual
operations demonstrate intelligence. Furthermore, it has been impossible to devise a test without
cultural bias, which is to say that any IQ tests so far proposed have been shown to reflect the culture
(10) of the test makers. Test takers from that culture would, it follows, score higher on such a test than test
takers from a different culture with equal intelligence.

3. What type of information is included in the 4. How does the information in the third
first paragraph? paragraph differ from that in the second
paragraph?
(A) An argument
(B) A definition (A) It presents a contrasting point of view.
(C) An opinion (B) It follows chronologically from the
(D) A theory ideas in the second paragraph.
(C) It presents real information rather
than a premise.
(D) It presents an example of the ideas in
the second paragraph.

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 5-6)

The largest lake in the western United States is the Great Salt Lake, an inland saltwater lake in
northwestern Utah, just outside the state capital of Salt Lake City. Rivers and stream s feed into the •
Great Salt Lake, but none drain out o f it; this has a major influence on both the salt content and the
Line size of the lake.
(5) Although the Great Salt Lake is fed by freshwater streams, it is actually saltier than the oceans
of the world. The salt com es from the more than two million tons of minerals that flow into the lake
each year from the rivers and creeks that feed it. Sodium and chloride—the com ponents o f salt—
comprise the large majority of the lake's mineral content.
The Great Salt Lake can vary tremendously from its normal size o f 1,700 square miles,
(10) depending on long-term weather conditions. During periods of heavy rains, the size of the lake can
swell tremendously from the huge amounts o f water flowing into the lake from its feeder rivers and
streams; in 1980 the lake even reached a size of 2,400 square miles. During periods o f dry weather, the
size of the lake decreases, som etim es drastically, due to evaporation.

5. How is the information in the passage
organized?
(A) Two unusual characteristics of the
Great Salt Lake are discussed.
(B) Contrasting theories about the Great
Salt Lake’s salt levels are presented.
(C) The process by which the Great Salt
Lake gets its salt is outlined.
(D) The reasons for the variations in the
Great Salt Lake’s size are given.
6. The third paragraph contains information
on
(A) how the size of the lake affects weather
conditions
(B) the effects of contrasting weather
conditions on the size of the lake
(C) the effects o f changes in the size
of the lake
(D) the causes of the varied weather
conditions in the area o f the lake